Parliament on Thursday passed a Government-sponsored proposal to update consent to the presence of foreign armed forces of NATO countries in Slovakia. In line with the revision, further NATO countries as well as Finland and Sweden could send troops to Slovakia to form part of the NATO multinational battle group in the country. The maximum amount of soldiers in the group, which is currently capped at 3,000, will not change, however.
The current consent allows the presence of up to 700 Czech, 200 Dutch, 100 Polish, 200 Slovenian, 1,200 German and 600 US soldiers.
The NATO multinational battle group in Slovakia was set up in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. The Defence Ministry, the sponsor of the proposal, claimed in the materials that the countries engaged in the battle group have provided Slovakia with capabilities that it did not have before and that have bolstered Slovakia's defensive power. At the same time, the force is meant as a deterrent that can be deployed in the case of a military threat.
Source: TASR
